August 29th, 2007
WEDNESDAY
Pushing Daisies (8 p.m., ABC; premières Oct. 3)
The concept: Unassuming piemaker Lee Pace can bring the dead back to life with a touch. One caveat: A second touch re-deadens them, which becomes thorny when Pace reanimates his childhood sweetheart.
Likely pitch: "Kinda like Dead Like Me, except people will actually watch it, we swear."
Why is this on the air? Dead Like Me creator Bryan Fuller and blockbuster-factory Barry Sonnenfeld have created what looks like a perfect storm of current TV trends: a supernatural, hyper-stylized, serialized "forensic fairy tale" whose convoluted plot should appeal to comic-book nerds and television snobs in equal measure.
Will it be any good? The pilot was overwhelmingly well-received, and the show's casting and technical execution seem spot-on. Provided it doesn't fall victim to its own quirkiness, Pushing Daisies could be the season's critical and popular hit.
Kid Nation (8 p.m., CBS; premières Sept. 19)
The concept: A Survivor-style show where children are left to die in a New Mexico desert. Or at least left to do backbreaking labor and form their own government.
Likely pitch: "It's like Lord Of The Flies—with cameras! And lots and lots of release waivers!"
Why is this on the air? After years of hating on reality TV's unending supply of pathetic adults, America is thirsty for new blood—and what's more pathetic than a kid crying for his mommy?
Will it be any good? If this really were Lord Of The Flies, maybe. But its promos carefully point out how "inspiring" it all is and how much the kids accomplish, so there's probably no hope of anyone being hunted like a pig or crushed by a rock.
Back To You (8 p.m., Fox; premières Sept. 19)
The concept: After an embarrassing public gaffe, big-time news anchor Kelsey Grammer has to return to the smaller market where he got his start.
Likely pitch: "Hey, remember that Frasier guy? People still like him, right?"
Why is this on the air? Fox does good business in primetime animation, hourlong dramas, and reality programming, but lacks a popular half-hour sitcom. Grammer, paired with mega-director James Burrows and producer Christopher Lloyd, seems like a safe bet.
Will it be any good? With all the eccentric, non-traditional comedies out there, a multi-camera, laugh-tracked sitcom set in a newsroom seems antiquated. But Grammer and Burrows have repeatedly mined TV-comedy gold, so it might well be popular. And Fred Willard is involved, so it might even be funny.
Gossip Girl (9 p.m., CW; premières Sept. 19)
The concept: A mysterious blogger who seems to know everyone's secrets chronicles cliques, romance, and class warfare at an exclusive Manhattan prep school.
Likely pitch: "The kids loved those rich O.C. brats. Why wouldn't they fall for the same thing set on the East Coast?"
Why is this on the air? Upon discovering that some WB hotshot acquired the rights to some spiced-up Sweet Valley High crap back in the Veronica Mars tentpole days, the CW decided to stick with what it knows.
Will it be any good? The show is smothered with leftover Mars cred: One of its regular directors helmed the pilot, and Kristen Bell does the blogger's voiceover. But it'll take a few more classy upgrades before we start feeling the LoVe.
Kitchen Nightmares (9 p.m., Fox; premières Sept. 19)
The concept: Hell's Kitchen tyrant-chef Gordon Ramsay tries to whip the owners and staff of failing restaurants into shape.
Likely pitch: "It's like Hell's Kitchen, with less cooking and more yelling!"
Why is this on the air? Got to extend the brand, man.
Will it be any good? The British version is terrific—arguably the best of the many shows Ramsay's been associated with. Watching him try to convince stubborn chefs to take his good advice makes for high drama, with unpredictable results. (And given the troubles Ramsay has had with his own new restaurant in New York, perhaps he'll show up on his own doorstep by the end of the season.)
Bionic Woman (9 p.m., NBC; premières Sept. 26)
The concept: A dark remake of the '70s series The Bionic Woman. When a car accident nearly kills a struggling bartender, her scientist boyfriend "rebuilds" her with bionic technology. Way to get all creepy-possessive there, guy.
Likely pitch: "It's a new twist on an old show that we already own—it's like Alias meets Heroes meets DVD sales!"
Why is this on the air? NBC is currently riding high, thanks to its popular dramas, like that one about moody superheroes, plus… uh… Actually, it could really use another show about moody superheroes.
Will it be any good? Reinventing a cheesy late-'70s science-fiction show with a realistic, post-millennial sensibility worked for Battlestar Galactica, and the presence of that show's Katee Sackhoff certainly doesn't hurt. As long as there are no campy Lee Majors cameos, this should do all right.
Private Practice (9 p.m., ABC; premières Sept. 26)
The concept: Kate Walsh's super-OBGYN character from Grey's Anatomy gets spun off into her own show, set at a touchy-feely beachfront "wellness center."
Likely pitch: "Fewer mopey men, more vajayjay."
Why is this on the air? Hundreds of emo bands still haven't had their songs played over a pre-credits montage.
Will it be any good? Walsh provided an interesting dynamic on Grey's Anatomy for about a year, before that show went completely off the rails, but if creator Shonda Rhimes can't get Grey's right these days, it's hard to imagine that extending her energies to a second show is a good idea.
Life (10 p.m., NBC; premières Sept. 26)
The concept: A wrongly convicted cop returns to the force after years in the big house and has to deal with cultural changes, sexy lady-cop partner Sarah Shahi, and countless jokes about dropping the soap.
Likely pitch: Who's the fastest-growing demographic in the country? Ex-prisoners! What do ex-cons love even more than a well-constructed shiv? Cops! So everyone's gonna love a show about an ex-con ex-cop turned active cop! It's a no-brainer! Pass the cocaine!
Why is this on the air? NBC stands to make a fortune by tapping into the buying power of ex-convicts. With W still in power, the wrongly convicted demographic is growing by leaps and bounds as well.
Will it be any good? Maybe, but the sheer novelty of a television drama about a sexy male cop and his sexy-lady cop partner should be enough to draw viewers.
Dirty Sexy Money (10 p.m., ABC; premières Sept. 26)
The concept: Following his father's mysterious death, Peter Krause takes over as the personal lawyer of an eccentric New York family well-stocked with filthy, sensual currency.
Likely pitch: "It's like Dallas, but sexy, and in New York, which is sexy, and about lawyers, which isn't sexy, but if we get the guy from Six Feet Under, it'll go from 0 to sexy in no time. Sexy!"
Why is this on the air? Boston Legal home ABC knows that lawyers and eccentrics are a fine pairing. Also, the "sexy" tag doesn't hurt.
Will it be any good? The cast (including Donald Sutherland) is solid, the characters are colorful, the plot is soapy, and the title is colossally stupid, so, uh, maybe?
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